Today's Unshackled Echo was previously published on
February 27, 2015.
Sometimes it feels like there are no such things as second chances, that God may forgive but the rest of the world never forgives or forgets. We may feel like we have a scarlet letter that others may not be able to see, but can somehow sense. It flashes: beware, don't trust, worthless, loser, screw up, or whatever (just insert your own feeling of inadequacy and failure here) to those we encounter, and they respond accordingly. Conventional wisdom is that this phenomena is a result of poor self-image and low self-esteem that we project to the world. The answer, according to said CW is to project self-confidence, to focus on your strengths, put your best foot forward, to act like the you that you want others to see, etc.
So come on, let's all grab our masks, use our positive thinking about who we are and what we can be to cover up the blemishes of our failures and fears like we're putting on makeup so the world can't see what really look like underneath the face we show. But maybe there's a better solution. I think there is. We can be washed clean of the past. I can stand clean before the Lord, and not one blemish does He see. If I believe that God doesn't see any blemishes, then why should I be afraid of what the world sees?
Well, duh, Dalyn. Because it's the people of the world who do the hiring, dating, marrying, etc., the accepting or rejecting that is necessary for me to live in this world and get what I need and want. Oh the Great Lie that so easily distracts us from trusting God like a toddler trusts Daddy into a People Pleasing Beast, seeking the approval and acceptance of others by projecting an image of ourselves that not even we believe ourselves, even after staring in the mirror and repeating the lie for 30 minutes to begin our day.
No matter how many times we post on social media that we may have done whatever but we're really something besides that, we may look like blank but underneath we're a better blank, they may think this meanness or horror but I don't care what they think because I know better about myself, and so on and so forth; no matter how we spin and twist the past for our resume; no matter what illusions we attempt to present for our first impressions, trying to control people's response, reactions and or acceptance of us is not the answer. Manipulating and controlling self-image doesn't make us feel better about ourselves for long, and when the towers we build on this shifting sand begin to fail, we end up hurting worse and worse before each rebuild. Some of us give up and don't even try to rebuild anymore, or reach the place where we simply can't.
And that's a good place to start a new building on a solid foundation. Giving up the fight of trying to look good, of trying to fix our sell our broken flesh. Clean before the Lord. I'm not a repaired creation, I am a new creation. Why so downcast oh my soul? Put your confidence and trust in the God who loves, accepts and died for you. God shall supply my needs. Don't look to man who is fickle and fails, but put your hope in the God of love and deliverance. Let God part the sea, break down the walls, slay the giant keeping you from reaching what you need, and let Him do it without wearing makeup, so the world will know it wasn't you that accomplished this but Him. And what He has done for you, and for me, He wants to do for them as well.
We don't need religious or spiritual plastic surgery, especially not from the shaky hands of our own self-improvement. Our value doesn't come from who we are, or even who we can be. Our true value, worth, and esteem is found in who He is and His great love for us. That image doesn't crumble when the makeup gets smudged or wiped away, it doesn't crumble apart in the light, and it isn't shaken. Find yourself by losing yourself to Him and in Him, and then you can have a you that is truly lovable, even by you, and a life worth living, job or no job, relationship or no relationship, (fill in the blank) or no (fill in the blank).
This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.
Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment